Student-Athlete Vaccination Information

Dear Ramona Athlete Families,

As Ramona Convent looks forward to the start of the winter sports season, we are mindful that the Covid-19 Delta variant continues to play a major role in how we can let our students play safely. Following the direction of several other schools that Ramona plays during the regular season, and with the advent of the FDA full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, Ramona will require all student-athletes to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19, with proof of vaccination, before in-season play. If, due to a medical reason, a student remains unvaccinated, she will be required to test for Covid-19 every week from an approved testing center and will be required to submit the results of that test to the school before any game; any cost associated with testing will be the responsibility of the individual, not the school.

Winter season sports (basketball and soccer) are considered high contact sports. Most cluster cases that have developed in school communities have developed through a high contact sport. It is for the safety of our students and their families that we institute this requirement. We are not mandating that every student on campus be vaccinated, because students in the normal course of the day are not in such close contact as they are in high contact sports. We know that the vaccines are the primary strategy to reduce the burden of Covid-19 disease, and to protect all members of the community. Having all athletes and staff in our program fully vaccinated will greatly decrease the risk of transmission of the virus among teammates and between teams, and will provide excellent protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. It will also decrease disruption in team activities, because fully vaccinated individuals are not required to quarantine if they are in close contact with a Covid case, as long as they remain asymptomatic, and continue to test negative.

Thank you and we look forward to the upcoming seasons!